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Boris Johnson Facing Another Scandal; Highland Park Shooting Killed Seven People; Russian Forces Targets Donbas Region; Stolen Grain from Ukraine Sold by Russians; Holocaust Architect Admits Crime Against Jews. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired July 06, 2022 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church in Atlanta.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Max Foster, outside Downing Street where British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has fallen into another political crisis, once again, putting his leadership in jeopardy.
CHURCH: We are also following new details about the tragic shooting at a Fourth of July parade. What we know about the lives lost in Highland Park, Illinois. And later, officials in North Korea say that COVID-19 is a thing of the past. But critics beg to differ. We are live in Seoul.
FOSTER: Just after 8 in the morning here in London, where pressure is mounting on the British prime minister as his government finds itself engulfed in yet another scandal and his leadership has again called into question. Boris Johnson, already fighting for his political future is now being dealt a huge blow by some of those closest to him.
Two senior members of his cabinet announced their resignations on Tuesday night. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, but they weren't the only wants to step down. U.K. assistant general, Alex Chalk said that he was resigning with great sadness but he can't defend the indefensible.
Several junior ranking government officials also quit and the conservative party vice chair announced live on television. He too plans to leave his post.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIM AFOLAMI, VICE CHAIR, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE PARTY: I just don't think the prime minister even (Inaudible) has not just my support, but he doesn't have I don't think the support of the party or indeed the country anymore, and I think for that reason, he should step down. I think that you have to resign. You have to resign because I can't serve under the prime minister.
(END VIDEO CLIP) FOSTER: Well, these assignations following the series of scandals rocking the government. Boris Johnson himself was fined earlier this year over the party gate affair that revealed social gatherings here in Downing Street in violation of COVID lockdown rules.
Right now, his office is moving quickly to fill those vacant posts. Nadhim Zahawi previously the secretary of state for education has been appointed chancellor, and Downing Street Chief of Staff, Steve Barclay is the new health secretary.
CNN's Nada Bashir is with me here at 10 Downing Street. It came in as a shock, wasn't it, when we heard those two big resignations even though things are pretty disastrous for him yesterday.
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Yes, absolutely. Just two very senior administration for Boris Johnson's cabinet, but also very close allies of Boris Johnson, two ministers who have been quite vocal in their support for the prime minister, scandal after scandal. That is, you know, we've seen the prime minister go through numerous scandals, numerous crises within the government.
You mentioned that the party gate scandal there's been allegations of ceased and harassment within the conservative party, really disastrous historic local election losses by the conservative party (Inaudible) as well.
And of course, among the goal today we saw the prime minister facing a vote of confidence which he narrowly succeeded in. But clearly, that we are seeing now this real shift now both Sajid Javid and his chancellor Rishi Sunak, issuing their resignations yesterday within minutes of each other really.
And they issue pretty damning resignation statements as well. I can just read to you a little bit from Rishi Sunak. He said, the public expect the government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I believe the standards are worth fighting for, and that is why I am resigning.
And there are similar sentiments echoed by Sajid Javid, also who said he cannot in good conscience, continue serving in this government. So, we are really seeing a massive blow to Boris Johnson's leadership, a real sense of lack of trust in his leadership and of course in his integrity as well.
FOSTER: He's hanging on by a thread effectively, isn't he? But he's clearly got some support. So, he managed to fill those vacant posts. We're speaking to an academic earlier saying, you know, actually he could let his whole cabinet go and still remain in office. So, what is the mechanism for getting rid of him at this point?
BASHIR: Look, we're seeing mounting pressure with those resignations. There were several others, as you mentioned who also resigned, junior ministers, other members of parliament as well. So, there is that growing momentum that feels like all people are moving to the back benches signing against Boris Johnson from within his own party.
[03:04:59]
So that could really trigger some sort of move from the prime minister to resign. That is unlikely. What is the key focus right now is of course that 1922 committee which could trigger a vote of confidence. Now we did see Boris Johnson narrowly hold on to power after that vote of confidence last month.
Typically, when this sort of situation you wouldn't see a vote of confidence triggered for another 12 months. But we did hear from the chairman of the leader, the leader of the 1922 committee saying that those rules can be changed. And we are expecting that committee to be reshuffled in the coming days and we could see those rules amended, allowing for another vote of confidence to be triggered within the next 12 months and potentially toppling down Boris Johnson.
FOSTER: We should never write off, Boris Johnson, should we, that's what we learned over recent years. Even when he was mayor of London, he survived all these crises. He's appearing in parliament state for prime minister's questions. How do you expect him to handle that? Because typically, he'll say it's all dealt with, let's move on, get on with business. Do you expect to hear that again today?
BASHIR: That's been his message throughout every single scandal we've seen over the last few months. It really is it does feel like a broken record. Moving on with his policy priorities, he has repeatedly said that he believes the British people want the government to move on and focus on getting the job done.
That has been his catch phrase, if you like, for the last couple of months. But at this stage scandal after scandal, it really does feel like he is losing that support. We've seen his popularity trust from the British public really dropping in the polls. Those are historic local election losses.
The leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, describing the government as collapsing in on itself. Even the first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon saying that the end could be near for the prime minister. So clearly, the prime minister is facing increasing pressure. And while he has managed to sort of weather the storm of previous --of previous crises and scandals, the question is, will he be able to withstand this latest crisis?
FOSTER: It's very unpredictable. Nada, thank you very much indeed. Rosemary, frankly, we've been in this situation before. It does feel a bit different this time, but never write off Boris Johnson. We will wait to see what he has to say later on in parliament.
CHURCH: Yes, we've certainly learned that lesson, haven't we? I appreciate it, Max. We'll get back to you soon.
A 7th person has now died in the July 4th parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. And an 8th victim is fighting for his life after being taken off life support. Meanwhile, the county coroner's office has identified six of the seven victims. They include 64-year-old Katherine Goldstein of Highland Park. A young couple Irina and Kevin McCarthy were also killed. Their 2-year-old son Aidan survived and is being taken care of by family members.
A local synagogue has identified 63-year-old Jacky Sundheim as another one of the victims. A statement says that she was a former preschool shooter and events coordinator. Seventy-eight-year-old, Nicolas Toledo was visiting Highland Park from Mexico. He was the father of eight and a grandfather. One granddaughter says he loved, fishing, painting and going on walks with this family.
And then there's 88-year-old Steven Straus. His grandson tells CNN he was very active. He loved music festivals, the outdoors and Sunday dinners with this family.
Well, as for the investigation, the state attorney says that the suspect in custody is facing seven first-degree murder charges and more charges are expected. Police have revealed additional information about the attack. But the one thing that is still not clear is a possible motive.
CNN's Drew Griffin has our report.
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CHRISTOPHER COVELLI, DEPUTY CHIEF, LAKE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Good afternoon, everybody.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Lake County Sheriff's Office reveals two incidents involving the suspect Bobby Crimo, the first in April of 2019, a suicide attempt that was handled by mental health professionals.
COVELLI: The second occurred in September 2019. A family member reported that Crimo said he was going to kill everyone, and Crimo had a collection of knives. The police responded to his residence. The police removed 16 knives, a dagger and a sword from Crimo's home. At that time, there was no probable cause to arrest or arrest. There were no complaints that were signed by any of the victims.
GRIFFIN: Police say the suspected shooter preplanned his attack and get away for several weeks, leaving his high-powered rifle behind, dressing as a woman and slipping away with the retreating crowds. It was that rifle purchased legally and traced back to him that helped police identify the suspect, track down his mother's car, and make this arrest.
COVELLI: At this point, we have not developed a motive from him.
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GRIFFIN (voice-over): While police search for a reason, it turns out there were warning signs posted all across social media. Music videos with dark images depicting violence, a school shooting, and a cartoon of a stick figure, apparently meant to be the suspect, faced down in a pool of blood in a shootout with police.
The actual suspect was arrested without shots fired hours after the shooting. Former classmates tell CNN in high school, he was withdrawn. UNKNOWN: He was very quiet. He didn't talk that much. And when he did
talk, he seemed very gentle. He didn't seem like aggressive or anything at all. It was very shocking, especially somebody that I know, very heartbreaking. I never thought that it could happen in my town or especially somebody that I even know at all.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Despite the social media post, an uncle who lived with the suspect told CNN and Chicago T.V. station WFLD, his nephew was not violent.
PAUL CRIMO, SUSPECT'S UNCLE: There were no warning signs, as I saw. I saw -- I saw him yesterday evening. And when I went home, I said hi to him. When I came back downstairs, I said, bye. He said, bye. And that was it. That was normal and standard of us. I mean, I see no -- nothing that would trigger him for doing this.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): And the weapon, do you have any idea where he required the weapon?
CRIMO: I'm not sure.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): You don't?
CRIMO: No.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): OK.
GRIFFIN (on camera): Despite what this uncle says, we now know of these warning signs, the suicide attempt, the threats on his family, the confiscation of his knife collection by the police, and these disturbing social media posts. Despite all of that, he was still able to legally purchase weapons including the rifle police say he used to slaughter seven people.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Highland Park, Illinois.
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CHURCH: Well, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is calling for Congress to stand up to gunmakers and reinstate a ban on assault weapons. She, and her husband, visited the scene of the parade shooting meeting with the mayor of Highland Park. Harris says there is no reason to have weapons of war on the streets of America.
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KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We'll deal with what we need to deal with in terms of it as we move forward, all agreeing that we've got to be smarter as a country in terms of who has access to what, and in particular, assault weapons. And we got to take this stuff seriously, as seriously as you are because you have been forced to have to take it seriously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Last month, the U.S. president signed into law a bipartisan gun safety bill passed by the elementary school or after the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Well, still to come, Russian forces unleashing a hail of artillery fire on eastern Ukraine as local officials urge residents to evacuate before it's too late. Plus, grain from Russian occupied parts of Ukraine is being harvested and sold. We will have a live report on that just ahead.
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CHURCH: Russia is stepping up attacks on eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, the next target in its push to seize the entire Donbas. Ukrainian officials say at least two people were killed, and seven wounded amid heavy shelving in Sloviansk on Tuesday.
The local governor says there is no longer anywhere safe in Donetsk. Heavy fighting is also underway in Luhansk, the other half of the Donbas. Russia declared victory there on Monday after capturing the key city of Lysychansk. But local officials say fighting continues on the outskirts.
An estimated two million tons of grain is being harvested in the Russian control parts of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region. That is according to the military head of the Russian occupied areas. He also noted that 70 percent of last year's grain harvest from the Russian controlled areas has already been sold.
However, the exiled mayor of Melitopol, a city in that region, says because of military restrictions grain producers are only allowed to sell to authorize individuals for half the usual price.
Our Clare Sebastian is standing by in London with details on that part of the story. But first, we want to go to CNN's Scott McLean who joins us live from Kyiv. Good to see you, Scott.
So, Russia now setting its sights on the Donetsk region after taking most of Luhansk. What is the latest on what's happening on the frontlines?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of, Rosemary, I should mention that the Russian-backed separatists in the city of Donetsk say that the Ukrainian shelled the city yesterday. There was social media video that's been geolocated by CNN that shows a place called the canvas center which had a large number of car dealerships, parts stores and things like that that was on fire. There were also continuous explosion seen in the video which suggest that perhaps there was ammunition store there.
The separatists claim that these strikes were carried out using artillery that was supplied by the west. That is, perhaps not surprising at all though considering the Ukrainians have long been calling for help with their artillery arsenal since the outset of this war or even before then. They also say that a 10-year-old girl was killed. On the other side of the frontlines, the Ukrainians continue to accuse
the Russians of purposefully targeting civilian areas. This time in the city of Sloviansk in the northern part of the Donetsk region where there was a central market that had caught fire and a couple of residential areas as well. The local governor called that pure terrorism.
He is calling on people to evacuate, but the reality is that thousands will likely stay as they did in Lysychansk. My colleague Phil Black, for instance, was on the frontlines yesterday, talking to people who really should have been evacuating but they had chosen to stay.
And what I find striking is that they didn't always have the strongest rational for staying, one family said that they wanted to be there to care for their house and for their vegetable garden that they relied on for survival. I have spoken to other families who had been forced to evacuate from other parts of the country, and often the answer is just that, look, packing up your family, packing up your kids is difficult logistically. It's pretty daunting. And so, many will likely stay until they absolutely have no choice and that will surely come with deadly consequences.
One of the things that you mentioned, Rosemary, is that there is still some fighting taking place within the boundaries of Luhansk that the Ukrainians are still trying to get a toll hold. And there's still little pockets of resistance there, but the city of Lysychansk seems now firmly in Russian's hands.
The local governor, Ukrainian governor says that the Russians are now going to door to door looking for any Ukrainian collaborators and going to the houses were military families used to live. And surely, there's nothing that the Ukrainians can do about it since they say they are not going to go back to mount any kind of serious offensive to take back the city until they have a heck of a lot more firepower to go back with. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right, many thanks for that. And Clare, let's go back to that story we mentioned. Ukraine's grain being harvested and sold in Russian occupied parts of the country. What are the global consequences of these actions? And what more are you learning about all of this?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very significant global consequences, Rosemary, as you and I have been discussing over the past weeks and months. But in terms of what we know about the Russian occupied parts of the Zaporizhzhia region, not for the first-time, but still, this is open discussion about how Russia is trying to benefit, perhaps profit even from the agrarian wealth in the occupied regions of Ukraine.
[03:19:53]
Coming from a pro-Russian official, the head of the military administration in those occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia is saying that about two million tons of grain is being harvested. He notes that that's more than last year's harvest in that area. He says a lot of it, a lot of the previous harvest has already been sold, about 70 percent through roots via Crimea. We don't know exactly where that's gone.
But as you noted as well, conflicting reports about what that process is actually, like he says that producers have no limitations when it comes to who they sell to. But we've heard from another official, the exile -- the exiled mayor of Melitopol which is in the Zaporizhzhia region, who said that they are restrictive. They can only sell to authorize individuals and at a cost that is about 50 percent of the usual price.
That of course could disincentivize production going forward. But the bigger issue in all of this, Rosemary, is that not much grain at all is going out. The U.N. food and agriculture administration quoting, Ukrainian numbers says that about a million tons of Ukrainian grain was exported in June, and that's compared to the usual six Million.
So, that has major consequences for the world. And efforts internationally are stepping up to try to do something about this. The Turkish President Erdogan said yesterday in a press conference with the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi that he wants to increase meeting traffic. He's been trying to broker talks between the U.N., Russia, and Ukraine.
He says that in the next seven to 10 days they're going to increase meeting traffic and try to come to an agreement but getting into harvest season, Rosemary, if they can't get the grain that's currently in storage that then jeopardizes the grain that's going to be harvested this summer.
CHURCH: Yes, very important part of the story. Many thanks to Scott McLean and Clare Sebastian.
Jill Dougherty is a CNN contributor and CNN's former Moscow bureau chief and she is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Jill joins us now from Washington, D.C. Always good to have you with us.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you, glad to be here.
CHURCH: So, when President Putin invaded Ukraine back in February he thought he could take the country in just a matter of days, but instead met extraordinary resistance from the country's army and its people. Now, of course for months later he is celebrating a much smaller victory taking over the Luhansk region. What does that indicate to you about his intentions for the Donbas?
DOUGHERTY: Well, I think what he's trying to do is go back to the original rationale for invading Ukraine, number one, and it was Donbas. You know that eastern, southeastern region of Ukraine, Russian-speaking under control of Russia and he alleged at the time that the people were undergoing genocide, they were the victims of genocide and Russia had to groom and rescue them. And then also at the same time, protect Russia.
But then as you mentioned, Rosemary, you know, the goalposts has shifted and then it became, well, let's move into Kyiv, take over Kyiv. Have regime changed. And then try to take over the rest of the country. So, as he, I think the object here is really to define or to redefine what he can depict to the Russian people is victory.
That's extremely important because if there is no victory for him then the Russian people could ask well why did we do this. So, at this point I think, you know, he can say, that was the objective, we have reached it. But there is a sizable body of opinion that doesn't feel that that is the end of it, that he actually does ultimately won all of Ukraine.
CHURCH: And do you think the domestic audience will buy that recalculation?
DOUGHERTY: You know, I think to a certain extent, some of them will. Because don't forget that Putin controls the narrative in Russia. Because propaganda right now is that really fever pitch and it is constant. Now some people are just kind of tuning out. Young people don't watch TV for the most part. But older people, and the people who are really the voters for Putin, the people who support him do watch TV. And what they are seeing is essentially what the Kremlin wants them to see.
And if the Kremlin wants to make the case that that was what we wanted to do in the first place, President Putin came through and did it. Then that will be the message 24/7.
CHURCH: So, is a Russian victory in the east inevitable, do you think?
DOUGHERTY: Well, I think, you know, I'm not a military expert but from the ones that I do speak with, Luhansk was a slog. It was very, very difficult and really, you know, both sides sustaining very big losses. But they did it. And now they have to move on to the other self-proclaimed Donetsk people's republic and tried to take that. That will probably be just as difficult, if not more.
[03:24:59]
So, it's very hard at this point to say whether they can achieve that but they are taking the technique that I remember from being in Russia as a bureau chief from Chechnya, which is just bomb, bomb, bomb and keep moving. And take huge losses if you have to.
CHURCH: And meantime, of course, Russia is stealing and selling Ukraine's grain. Why haven't western nations done more to stop that from happening, given the global ramification in terms of food crisis?
DOUGHERTY: You know, it's very complex. Because now you have Turkey, a member of NATO trying to kind of broker some type of agreement to get that wheat and grain out of Ukraine. It's crucial for developing countries around the world. There can be starvation, if that doesn't get out.
So, there have been reports, you know, about a ship that actually left the harbor in Berdyansk which is under Russian control. Then I noted that the foreign minister of Russia said, no, no, it actually belonged to Kazakhstan.
I mean, essentially, what the Ukrainians are saying is that we are blockaded. The Russians were blockading us and the Russians are saying, no, no, you are mining the harbor. So, right now it does appear that Russia has taken grain out and is selling it. But it's murky. I think the main thing is if Turkey can bring the sides together, it would be something because the two sides are not agreeing on anything at this point as this war just continues to grind on.
CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. Jill Dougherty, many thanks for your experience. I appreciate it.
Over 60 years ago, former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was found guilty and executed by Israel for his role in the Holocaust. He was wildly known as the architect of the Holocaust, the genocide of six million Jewish people during World War II.
In 1961, millions of people around the world watched this trial on television. And now for the first time, audio recordings of him boasting about his actions have been made public and can be heard in a new documentary series.
Well, for more on this, we want to bring in CNN's Hadas Gold, she joins us live from Jerusalem. So, Hadas, extraordinary audio made public more than 60 years after Eichmann's trial. What more are you learning about all of this?
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so these tapes are being really made public in this new Israeli documentary, specifically around these tapes. It's the first time the world and the public is really able to hear Eichmann acknowledging what he did in this own words and in his own voice.
Now the tapes were recorded in 1957 in Argentina which is where Eichmann was hiding, and they were recorded with the idea that he would one day -- that one day a memoir would be released after he had died. But a few years later, he was apprehended by Israeli intelligence agents and brought to Israel where he stood trial and was ultimately executed.
Now during that trial, the Israeli did some transcripts of the tape but they didn't have the audio itself. And Eichmann said that the transcripts were distorting his words. He said that he wasn't aware of the extermination of the Jews and says that he was just following orders.
Now I want to play a clip for you from this documentary and just so our viewers understand what the Israeli filmmakers did is that they took the actual audio and then they got actors to reenact the scene of Eichmann talking to other Nazis and Nazi sympathizers about what he did while they were recording.
So just so people understand that the film you are seeing is not actually Eichmann himself, it's an actor but the audio that is Eichmann's actual voice. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADOLF EICHMANN, NAZI WAR CRIMINAL (on screen text): It would defy my innermost beliefs to admit that we did something wrong. No. I have to tell you honestly had we killed 10.3 million Jews, I would say with satisfaction, good we have destroyed an enemy. Then we would have fulfilled our mission.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: Elsewhere in these tapes, Eichmann says that he did not care whether the Jews sent to Auschwitz live or died. He also said he specifically knew that Jews who were fit to work would be sent to work. Jews who were not fit to work must be sent to the final solution period, which, of course meant their death.
Now as I said, how the tapes came to be. They were known to be in existence, the Israeli prosecutors knew that they existed but they didn't have them themselves. The tapes fell into various private hands over the years before they eventually ended up in a German archive. Which in 2020, gave these Israeli filmmakers permission to use several hours of those tapes which we are now hearing in this new documentary. Rosemary?
[03:30:06]
CHURCH: It is amazing. Hadas Gold joining us live from Jerusalem. Many thanks.
Well, coming up next, we are live outside 10 Downing Street as Boris Johnson faces fresh political turmoil, what a series of resignations could mean for his future as the British prime minister.
Plus, Sri Lanka is facing its worst financial crisis since gaining independence more than 70 years ago. Now the country's prime minister says reviving the economy will be no easy task.
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CHURCH: COVID cases are on the rise in Italy, the country recorded more than 130,000 new infections Tuesday. It's the first time since February daily cases have topped 100,000. Italy also reported 94 additional coronavirus related deaths. That brings the country's death toll to more than 168,000 since the start of the pandemic.
Well, it's been nearly two months since North Korea publicly reported its first ever case of COVID-19. For more than two years, Pyongyang didn't acknowledge any coronavirus infections, but since May has reported more than 4.7 million so-called fever cases. The government claims the majority of those patients have fully recovered.
CNN's Paula Hancocks joins me now from Seoul with more. All right, we're going to go to a report from Paula.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two months since the COVID-19 outbreak, which Kim Jong-un called the greatest turmoil in his country's history, North Korea claims the worst is over. A pandemic that ravaged the rest of the world has claimed just 73 lives so far, according to Pyongyang's figures, a claim universally doubted.
KWON YOUNG-SE, SOUTH KOREA'S UNIFICATION MINISTER (through translator): The COVID-19 situation North Korean state media is reporting is quite different to what other countries experienced after an outbreak. So, I have some questions.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): The world feared an Omicron outbreak amidst an unvaccinated malnourished population with primitive healthcare could be catastrophic. The U.N. Special Rapporteur for human rights in North Korea says he's still not able to dispel that fear.
TOMAS OJEA QUINTANA, U.N. SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA: We have some reports about vulnerable people like an elder, some children with nutritional problems are dying due to the COVID but again, it's very difficult to confront that information at this point.
[03:35:02]
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Choi Jung-hun fled North Korea 11 years ago. He says he worked as a doctor during a measles outbreak in 2006 to diagnose and treat cases he says he was given just the monitors.
CHOI JUNG-HUN, FORMER NORTH KOREAN DOCTOR (through translator): If we have patients with measles or influenza all we can do is to tell them which medicine they need and how much to take. There's nothing else we can do as we had no medicine at the hospital.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Kim Jong-un told pharmacies in Pyongyang in May, ordering the military to stabilize medical supplies. But defectors say in reality patients have to buy their own medicine in local markets, imported or smuggled in from China. Closed borders in recent lockdowns mean there is likely little left.
JUNG-HUN (through translator): We were frustrated because the government funded missile programs not healthcare.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Dr. Kee Park is an American neurosurgeon who used to visit North Korea twice a year to work alongside doctors there before the COVID pandemic.
KEE PARK, DIRECTOR, KOREA HEALTH POLICY PROJECT, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: They struggle to supply the hospital with some of the things that we take for granted. When they do have some of these supplies, they reuse things until they are unusable.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): He says scalpels were reused until they were blunt, but points to recent Chinese customs data from January to April this year, showing Pyongyang imported 1,000 ventilators, more than 10 million masks and more than 2,000 kilograms of vaccines.
Global Vaccine Alliance, GAVI said last month, they understood North Korea has accepted COVID vaccines from China and started to administer doses.
HANCOCKS (on camera): We spoke to one defector who didn't want to be on camera as her whole family is still in the north. But she said she spoke to them by phone a week after the announcement of the COVID outbreak, and they weren't too concerned about the virus. She says what they were extremely concerned about is the food situation, even going so far as to say it was worse than it had been during the late 1990s when North Korea suffered a devastating and deadly famine.
QUINTANA: Urging the government of North Korea but also parties involved in the Korean Peninsula understand that there is a serious risk about starvation in North Korea.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): COVID-19 not the only deadly threat to North Korea.
CHURCH: And we'll be back in just a moment.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Two major resignations rattling the British government and putting further pressure on a prime minister already in a fight for his political life. In a huge blow to Boris Johnson, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, and Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced Tuesday that they were quitting, saying they no longer want to work for a government mired in scandal.
Last month Mr. Johnson survived a confidence vote. Now according to a tweet from a Channel 4 News or from Channel 4 News conservative M.P. Andrew Bridgen is vowing to overhaul the party's rules, which currently prevent a second vote of confidence within the same year. He told them, quote, "we will change the rules and throw him out."
[03:40:02]
Now Quentin Peel is with us. He's an associate fellow for the Europe Programme at Chatham House and a commentator for the Financial Times as well.
What did you make of all this as the news unfolded last night, Quentin?
QUENTIN PEEL, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, EUROPE PROGRAMME AT CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, it's really looking more and more difficult for Johnson because there's a steady trickle of resignations following these two big ones that happened yesterday. And his -- his position just looks incredibly difficult with his own back benches. That's where he now appears to be losing the support and the trust of his own party. So, I really think his days are numbered, that all the headlines in the newspapers today seem to say the same thing Johnson on the brink.
FOSTER: And yet, if you speak to people around him that pointing to this recent confidence vote, which he won, I gather the mechanics there can be changed to allow another confidence vote soon. Just explain how that might work.
PEEL: Well, there is -- there are elections coming up for the membership of this, what's called the 1922 committee of conservative backbenchers. And it looks as if those people who want to change the rules are quite likely to get a majority so that they can do so. And then they would have another confidence vote.
And really, I mean, people on the back benches are now just getting fed up with Boris Johnson, he seems to have such a distorted relationship with the truth that they feel they can no longer trust him. And they can see that that's very unpopular out in the country. He's had two very bad byelection results. So they're worried he's become an election loser.
FOSTER: And what's the issue here? I mean, there's issues of policy, isn't there, which is where the tension was with his Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, that's now gone away, he can presumably crack on with these, you know, tax cuts with the backbenchers want right now, or is this much bigger than that a personality issue that Boris Johnson, frankly can't get pass?
PEEL: I think it's the personality issue. That's the real problem. I mean, yes, there is a policy issue. And Rishi Sunak was unwilling to bring in the tax cuts that Boris Johnson and the backbenches wanted. But it is a more profound thing, why voters in those byelections voted against the conservatives again, and again, people were saying, it's a matter of trust, we don't trust the prime minister. And I think that's his problem.
FOSTER: He's not going to go anywhere, though, is he? So is there a way that he can buy a bit of time, or buy a bit of time, build -- rebuild support with, for example, tax cuts, which would, as you say, be popular on the backbenches. I mean, he clearly does have, you know, some substantial support within the party still, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to fill those key posts last night so quickly.
PEEL: He's certainly not a quitter. And I think that that is the thing. The fact is that there is no obvious alternative to him as prime minister. And I think that in a way, they're in a terrible state. They've got a prime minister who looks more and more like a loser, but they can't see where they'll find a winner.
They've got to find somebody who brings together both the pro-Brexit and the anti-Brexit wings of the party, and that's going to be very difficult to do. So as long as there isn't an alternative Boris Johnson survives.
FOSTER: Surely Rishi Sunak is a very clear alternative now and will no doubt be gathering some support from disillusioned backbench M.P.s that prefer his type of policy and politics.
PEEL: Yes, Rishi Sunak is there, Liz Truss, the foreign minister also obviously wants the job. So, there are people out there, but are they election winners when you look at their popularity, vis-a-vis, Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition, they're still trailing.
So, if they don't look like clear winners, they might get a bit of a boost when they get into office, but conservatives want to be in power. And that is the question that's where Boris Johnson seems to be letting them down. But are the alternatives out there? I'm not sure Rishi Sunak really has it in him. FOSTER: But we should get a sense of alternatives as the course of the day continues and the next few days as well if things go from bad to worse for Boris Johnson.
Quentin Peel, thank you for joining us with your perspective.
I'll be back in about 15 minutes with much more from here in 10 Downing Street, but now I'm going to send it back to Rosemary in Atlanta.
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CHURCH: Thank you so much, Max. I appreciate it.
Well, out of the frying pan into the fire, that is how Sri Lanka's energy minister has described the country's deepening financial crisis its worst in decades. On Tuesday, the prime minister said talks with the International Monetary Fund to revive the economy are more difficult and complicated than before because the country is bankrupt.
CNN's Vedika Sud is in New Delhi. She joins us now live. Good to see you again, Vedika. So, Sri Lanka is now suffering bankruptcy. So, what possible solutions came out of those talks with the IMF to help the country back on the road to recovery?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Well, it's got to be a very, very long road back to recovery, Rosemary. It's quite clear from what the newly appointed prime minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe he had to say to the lawmakers in parliament Tuesday, he has now announced that Sri Lanka, like you said is bankrupt. And the road for that bailout package with IMF, the International Monetary Fund has just got a bit more difficult.
And here's why. Wickremesinghe has said that earlier, Sri Lanka was dealing with IMF as a developing country. Now they're dealing with IMF as a bankrupt country. And now they're working on getting a debt restructuring package in place. And they will present that to the IMF by August. And they're hoping then that IMF will grant them a bailout package.
And this is having massive ramifications on the ground, especially for the 22 million people in Sri Lanka, there's a massive fuel prices. On Sunday, the fuel minister there, the energy and fuel minister had spoken to the media, he spoke about how there was just enough fuel for another day for Sri Lanka, and how it's been a huge struggle to get more shipments because they just don't have the money to pay for the shipment of fuel. And that is one of the biggest struggles that Sri Lanka is facing.
Currently there are queues as long as three to four kilometers long of fuel stations. We know that people have been dying, waiting in these queues, as of yesterday, there was 18 deaths reported due to, you know, standing these long lines for hours. And most of these people are coming back without that fuel.
It's also having a massive effect on the already existing food crisis in the country. You know, the cost of food is really spiral, Rosemary. Basic commodities are now at fourfold the price they were at earlier. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes, I mean, that is so problematic. I mean, what about, I mean, you -- you talk about how this is impacting people's lives. What about when they're going to try to find fruits and vegetables, their day to day lives?
SUD: It's very difficult. They're getting rotten food for now because these trucks that depend massively on fuel, they're just not on the roads yet because of the fuel crisis in the country. Rosemary, how often do you hear of schools shutting down because of a fuel crisis? You usually hear of it when it comes to pandemic or extreme weather events.
But schools have shut down in Sri Lanka for this week because there is no fuel to get them from their homes to school. The fuel supply has been limited to essential services only. And people are just running around looking for anything fresh in terms of food.
They're looking for fuel, people can't get to hospitals because of it. People are stuck at home. They don't know when the situation is going to end. And they are banking on the newly appointed prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who, remember had promised in June that he'd sought us out the IMF. Then again in July, and now that's been pushed to August.
Those protests continue. Protesters have been protesting for months on the roads leading up to the president's house. And we're talking about Gotabaya Rajapaksa here who has been very stubborn. He has refused to step down over the months despite these protests. There has been a new government that is put in place, but when it comes to the president, he has not stepped down despite the outrage against him, Rosemary.
CHURCH: It is a desperate situation, of course. This also in the midst of a COVID pandemic. Just extraordinary. Vedika Sud bringing us the very latest there live from New Delhi.
Well, heat, fires, and floods all over the world. How climate change is fueling these natural disasters, we'll take a look.
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CHURCH: From deadly floods to raging wildfires, record breaking heat, and collapsing glaciers, the world is enduring an unrelenting series of natural disasters. Millions are displaced, livelihoods are at risk.
And as CNN's Isa Soares reports experts warn climate change is to blame.
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ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A devastating sight in Sydney, as parts northwest of the city are battling their worst floods in decades.
UNKNOWN: Absolutely devastated. Surely hard. So, we don't know. We're just doing one day at a time getting through it.
SOARES (voice-over): At least one person has died and thousands have been forced to evacuate. In Australia's most populous state of New South Wales authorities have declared a natural disaster. Extreme weather events like this are happening across the world, the word record making headlines globally.
From deforestation in the Amazon, to temperatures in Italy. Authorities there have declared a state of emergency in five regions due to widespread water shortages, high temperatures killing crops, drying rivers, and even avalanches. Seven people died after this glacier collapsed in the Italian Alps. Prime Minister Mario Draghi bringing up climate change.
MARIO DRAGHI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): This is a drama that is certainly unpredictable, but it definitely depends on the deterioration of the environment and the climate situation.
SOARES (voice-over): Even the pope urging action, tweeting the tragedies we are experiencing are connected to climate change. In India, millions have been displaced in recent weeks, and 150 people have died in floods as well as mudslides.
China recorded the heaviest rainfalls in 60 years, affecting almost half a million people. And in the United States, from coast to coast this year, an array of extreme weather events from historic flooding to uncontrollable wildfires, and more intense hurricane seasons.
FRIEDERIKE OTTO, CLIMATE SCIENTIST, IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON: So, we just see the frequency of heat waves has gone up so much. So, this is -- this is very much, we don't need to do attribution studies on every single one of them. Because we know already that climate change is a key driver here.
SOARES (voice-over): Critics say governments are too idle in fighting climate change. Meanwhile, experts estimate 200 million people will need humanitarian aid due to extreme weather over the coming 30 years.
ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: What we are seeing around the world is cause for deep shock and anger. Rampant deforestation, and worsening climate impacts are increasing forest fires and droughts. This is outrageous and shameful. It is a global suicide in slow motion.
SOARES (voice-over): A slow response the U.N. says the world cannot afford as it faces one of humanity's biggest challenges.
Isa Soares, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: So, let's get an update now from meteorologist Karen Maginnis. And Karen, as we just saw climate change fueling natural disasters all Around the world, and you report on these extreme conditions every single day.
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And we see it every single day. And Sydney is just one of the examples of that. What you're looking at is video from this vessel that's off the coast of New South Wales off of the coast of Sydney, bobbing in these very heavy seas and the wind and the rain. There are 21 aboard that vessel. All of them are safe, they're trying to rescue them. But it has been very challenging.
There may be a glimmer of some positive news as far as the flooding goes for this South-Central Coast of New South Wales. It looks like this very lingering area of low pressure is going to be moving just a bit, so that'll push more of that moisture further to the north.
[03:55:01]
Already some of these rainfall totals over the last three days in excess of 650 millimeters. But further to the north this is where we could see the heaviest mounts over the next several days. The past 24 hours, some of these regions have reported more than 200 millimeters.
Now this is fairly typical for this time of year, we see these offshore low-pressure systems, they don't move a lot. They produce these prolonged periods of rainfall. But this has been relentless. This has been exceptional. We have to go back to the late 1800s before we see any of these rainfall amounts that come close to what we've seen here with the succession of areas of low pressure, and that very heavy rainfall.
It has been devastating. But now some of that moisture will move across Tasmania, also into the Melbourne area, but I don't think it's going to be anything like what we've seen. Here are some of the forecast rainfall accumulations. There you can see Sydney still not out of the woods completely. But it does look like an easing of that precipitation shifting more towards the north. So, we'll have to watch out for the potential for flooding across those areas, above amounts of precipitation over the last three months. June was dreadful, very dry, but now we're more than making up for it.
Here's Sydney's forecast Sunday, a few showers here and there, but I think it's a one-day event. And then it looks like it calms down for a little bit, Rosemary. So good news. Back to you.
CHURCH: All right, Karen Maginnis, many thanks for that. I appreciate it.
Well Universal Pictures latest film "Minions: The Rise of Gru" is making headlines, but not just because of its box office record. Movie theaters and patrons are reacting to a new viral trend on TikTok dubbed the gentle minions.
The social media platform has been flooded with videos of young men dressed in formal wear going to see the film, though it isn't a harmless trend in every case. There are some reports of theaters turning away the fine dress cinephiles after complaints of rowdy crowds trashed theaters and requests for ticket refunds from those unable to enjoy the film. Universal seemingly isn't bothered with the unusual attire choice
tweeting, quote, "we see you and we love you to those participating."
And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. CNN Newsroom continues next with Max Foster.
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